Roseau, Dominica – April 16, 2026 – Dominica’s main power provider, Dominica Electricity Services Limited (DOMLEC), has publicly notified customers of an upcoming adjustment to electricity pricing that will see a higher fuel surcharge applied to April 2026 energy consumption, with the change appearing on customer bills distributed in May 2026.
The monthly fuel surcharge, a standard variable component of DOMLEC’s billing structure calculated based on the prior month’s energy sales and prevailing fuel costs, will for the first time incorporate an additional line item for geothermal energy production costs this billing cycle. The revised surcharge is computed using three core inputs: March 2026 energy sales, global fossil fuel prices, and the still-limited output from the island’s new geothermal facility.
In a public statement announcing the change, DOMLEC General Manager Dwayne Cenac outlined the combination of market and environmental factors that have driven the latest rate increase. He confirmed that the new fuel surcharge for April consumption will climb to $0.50 per kilowatt-hour, with the single largest contributor to the jump being a dramatic uptick in global fossil fuel prices. Since the start of 2026, Cenac noted, the utility’s average fuel costs have risen by roughly 33%, a surge directly tied to persistent geopolitical instability in the Middle East, a key global oil production region.
This most recent increase marks the third consecutive monthly rise in the surcharge, a trend that began in February 2026. To contextualize the shift, Cenac pointed to seasonal changes in the island’s hydropower output, another core pillar of Dominica’s energy mix. In December 2025, high water levels allowed hydropower to contribute 35% of total national electricity generation, pushing the January 2026 surcharge down to a low of $0.32 per kilowatt-hour. By March 2026, however, seasonal dry conditions reduced hydropower output to its long-term average of roughly 25.5%, driving the surcharge up to $0.36 in February and $0.37 in March respectively.
While the utility has formally integrated geothermal energy into its generation and billing framework, the new renewable source currently makes only a modest contribution to the national grid. The geothermal plant remains in the final commissioning phase, and Cenac confirmed that in March 2026, it accounted for just 6.1% of total electricity production. Looking ahead, though, the utility frames geothermal as a long-term solution to volatile pricing: as the plant scales up output over coming months and years, it is expected to play an increasingly large role in buffering consumer costs from global fossil fuel market swings.
DOMLEC has reaffirmed that the unprecedented 35% jump in the April surcharge is overwhelmingly driven by the sharp global fuel price increase, rather than the new geothermal cost inclusion. To help customers manage higher near-term bills, the utility is urging households and businesses to proactively adjust their energy consumption where possible. In the near future, Cenac added, customers will also gain access to a new time-of-use billing structure, which will offer discounted rates for electricity used during off-peak hours, spanning late evening through early morning.
“Our call for energy conservation comes as we work through the transition from a system heavily reliant on diesel to one that draws more and more power from renewable sources,” Cenac explained. “Conscious energy use not only helps individual households keep their monthly bills manageable, it also advances our collective goal of building a more sustainable energy future for all of Dominica.”
Moving forward, DOMLEC reiterated its long-term commitment to expanding access to reliable, sustainable, and affordable electricity across the island, with ongoing investment in renewable energy infrastructure and grid efficiency upgrades at the core of its strategic plan.